With fashion modeling, we have entered a realm that's not only competitive but also filled with people whose inflated sense of themselves may be enough to cause you to gasp for air. Because it is glamorous, fashion modeling has attracted many opportunists, who are often more interested in taking advantage of you than in advancing your career. Hence, there are two words of caution you should heed in this business: BE CAREFUL.
We will discuss the necessary background information and job prerequisites but the bulk of this chapter will focus on how to approach an overcrowded industry-inhabited by people our society has deemed, according to its standards, extremely beautiful and survive within its highly judgmental confines.
Keep in mind that there are just a handful of supermodels like Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, and Kate Moss. Most successful models establish a local presence and get work modeling for clothing catalogs, special events, or runway shows.
Others make a career of modeling for corporate training films, called industrials, and promotional videos. There is also a very small niche market that involves modeling only certain exceptionally attractive body parts, such as hands, legs, feet, and teeth, for print advertising and television commercials.
Runway, Print, and Film Models
Although one may initially think that all a model needs to succeed are great looks, poise, and perfect posture, this is a complex, far-reaching business that covers numerous subcategories. Depending on what the latest craze is, you could find that your curvaceous frame and pouty lips get you on the cover of most magazines for a year, only to be ignored the following year in favor of the latest rail-thin waif look.
For this reason it is important that you create as many options as possible. For example, if you are a woman at least 5 feet, 7 inches tall and keep your weight at a minimum, plus have a face that can acquire various looks with creative makeup applications, you might want to consider runway modeling. Men in this profession tend to be 6 feet tall or more are muscular and display chiseled features. This career involves extensive training in how to walk and show any type of ensemble to its best advantage.
Not only will you travel frequently, but you will work long, odd hours that drastically reduce your social life. The irony here is that models, while extremely busy, must socialize in order to make important contacts. Parties remain one of the best networking arenas. In this flamboyant, eccentric business, you must, however, always be aware of the con artists and sweet-talking "agents."
If you are too short for runway modeling, but have an alluring face and charm, then print advertising or television commercials are probably where you belong. Most models register with a reputable agency following their basic training. It's your responsibility to follow up with these agencies to let them know you are interested, and to keep up with all the important auditions-even if you're going on an audition for a laundry detergent commercial or the telephone company's latest training video.
Modeling, with its many facets, is a vital part of the fashion industry. Know that there are millions of people with your ambition, and that only a few really make it big due to the right mix of talent, timing, connections, and good fortune. Don't get discouraged by the competition. Get motivated by it. Put your name and face out there to people who matter. Then capitalize on your unique attributes to set yourself apart from all the rest.
Once you realize that modeling is a short-lived career reserved for the young (although certain sectors exist for older-looking models), then pursue it with vigor as early as possible. Most importantly, have a back-up career in case you keep getting rejected, or grow dissatisfied with the modeling profession and its persistent search for the perfect face or body.
Specialty Models
If you have been consistently told that you have perfect teeth, beautiful hands, or shapely legs, you should seriously consider becoming a part-time specialty model. Just flip through a magazine. How many ads do you see with just certain body parts displayed-a hand holding a fork, for example? Decidedly many.
Well, these are real-life models who are frequently sought out by companies who request specialized talent through agencies at which the model is registered. Unlike full-body modeling, this niche market tends to be very sporadic, with unpredictable opportunities. These opportunities require auditions which mean you will show up in person at a studio, and if you have the look a creative director wants to capture, you will be hired. Then you are paid on an hourly basis for the time it takes to create the print ad or television commercial.
Because assignments are few and far between, it is a good idea to have a full-time job with a flexible schedule that allows you to respond to audition requests on short notice.
What's First? Models
Of course, some models get their start as infants or children. But that doesn't necessarily guarantee their success as adults. More commonly, models begin honing their craft in high school, doing part-time work for catalogs. Another way to practice is through participation in local fashion shows, as well as taking movement classes, signing up for a fashion workshop, and registering with a reputable modeling and etiquette school.
It is extremely important to do your research. Check with the Better Business Bureau or an accredited association that monitors talent-related operations. If you call an agency and they ask you to come in for an audition, do not go unaccompanied. This applies to both men and women. It simply can't be stressed enough how many scams have been discovered within the modeling profession.
Newspaper or magazine ads promising high salaries, travel, and extensive exposure are the ones to look out for and vigorously ignore. As determined as you may be to fulfill your fashion modeling dream, don't make any hasty decisions. They could not only cost you money, but they could also harm you. So, now that we've cleared the air on that matter, we will talk about what to do first.
Contact a local talent agency, one that is well known and respected. Ask for the representative who handles print/film or runway models, and make an appointment for a free consultation. Another word of caution: Make sure that the consultation is free. If an "agent" asks you for money to help get you work, run the other way. Not only is this unlawful, it should tip you off to a scam in the making.
The agency reps should be able to honestly evaluate your potential. They look for unusual, exaggerated features that border on exotic; or fresh-faced girl-next-door appeal; or dark, rugged masculine types; or any variety of styles that would convey a designer's message. Ask the rep to supply you with the names and phone numbers of professional fashion photographers who can be trusted with creating your composites. Information on photographers can also be obtained from national photography associations.
In this industry, composites are your entree into your career. Composites are a series of photos of yourself in four or five different poses and looks that are printed, most commonly, on high-quality black-and-white paper, with information on your vital statistics (age, height, weight, and so on). Once you have done your research on photographers, set up an appointment for a full-day or half-day photo session.
After the shoot is completed, you will review proofs and select the ones you believe will catch the eye of a talent agent. Once your composites are ready (print about 500 of them initially), call up the best agencies in your city. Set up a time when you can register and bring in a stack of your composites. While you are at the agency, you will be required to stamp the agency's address on the back of your "comps," which they, in turn, mail to advertising agencies, designers, photographers, and so on.
If you have the look a client hopes to project, you will be called in for an audition that involves photographing you, for example, in fall fashions. Once you are hired, you will work long, sometimes back-breaking hours getting fitted and modeling for the camera. If a runway assignment becomes available, be prepared to have a lot of energy to make it through fittings, rehearsals, and the ultra-quick changes during the actual fashion show.
You are paid hourly, with a commission going to the agency that books you.
Finally, it is up to you to do a hefty amount of follow-up and check in with these agencies to learn about the latest audition opportunities.
Of course, everyone says that New York is the place to be if you want to make it big as a fashion model. To a great extent, that is true. Nevertheless, other fashion-driven cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, and Atlanta offer a lifetime worth of modeling opportunities, whether they be special events, charity fashion shows, or major advertising campaigns.
If you are inclined to participate in beauty pageants or modeling competitions, these are excellent ways to get more exposure, and they look great on a resume.
What's First? Specialty Models
Similar to full-body models, specialty models need to present talent agencies with composites of the body part(s) they are modeling. The same kind of scrutiny is necessary in researching agencies and photographers. Because this field is so limited and specialized, however, rarely will you be the victim of a big-time scam.
In fact, most specialty models do this on the side to supplement their income from other jobs, or to do something unusual. It is important, however, to maintain the beauty of the body parts that will be photographed. If you model legs and feet, for example, you must take care to wax them and keep your toes from getting blisters. Even a little scratch could ruin your chances for doing a major hosiery ad.
Teeth-as in toothpaste ads-must be cleaned and polished regularly. Hands, which must be consistently manicured, are especially vulnerable to chapping, paper cuts, scratches, and cracked nails. Some models go so far as to have their homes safety-proofed. They don't open cans, cut vegetables, or wash dishes. A foot model wouldn't walk long distances, take dance classes, or wear uncomfortable shoes. Someone with perfect teeth wouldn't be caught smoking, or eating peanut brittle or candy bars.
Know that auditions crop up at the oddest hours of the day on very short notice. If you can create a lifestyle that allows you flexible full-time work so that you can readily attend auditions and photo shoots in all parts of the city, then specialty modeling could be an ideal profession for you.
For practice, keep a file of ads that use these types of models. You will find them frequently in food, lifestyle, family, and fashion publications. Then practice various poses in front of a mirror.
Requirements for Models
No degrees are required for models, but a keen knowledge of business transactions, paired with formal modeling training, is certainly an advantage.
Probably the single most crucial requirement is the model's composites discussed in the previous section. Those, combined with a portfolio of photos and ad tear sheets, give prospective clients a solid idea of how comfortable and creative you can be in front of a camera. A resume listing vital statistics and work experience is also necessary.
Because many runway models also appear in print, they require the same credentials, along with a list of designers and companies for whom they have modeled. It always helps to work with the big names, such as Yves St. Laurent, Donna Karan, or Romeo Grantedli. In a business that relies on constant name-dropping to feed its overinflated ego, it is a major edge to have worked with such famous personalities.
As we mentioned before, the social scene is the place to be for industry contacts. Hang out at clubs and restaurants that attract a lot of models and designers. Although you must be careful at all times, it is part of models' networking regimens to get their names out to key fashion insiders for career advancement.
Requirements for Specialty Models
Once again, no formal education is required to succeed as a specialty model. Your composites and portfolio are your tickets to being accepted by reliable talent agencies.
Mainly, you need to check in periodically and remind agencies- especially those with high turnover-that you are available for auditions. By always being available for auditions and photo sessions, you will build a reputation for dependability that will get you noticed. The same holds true for showing up early on assignments and being extremely cooperative.
Finally, a good specialty model should feel completely at ease in front of the camera. He or she shouldn't be self-conscious of intense close-ups, and must know how to follow very specific directions from the photographer and art director.
Self-Promotion Blitz: Models
Modeling, by nature a show-business-like occupation dependent on hot trends and gorgeous bodies, is driven by prospects who do relentless self-promotion blitzes. When millions of attractive people compete for a limited number of jobs, it goes without saying that certain individuals must get noticed over all the others. That, in a nutshell, is what it takes to make it big, and even to survive.
One of the most frustrating aspects of modeling is that it's a short-lived career. After all, fresh new talent is always on hand to push out the old stalwarts. Accept this fact. Then, work hard to maintain your presence. Change your look. Keep up with the times. Stay in shape. A healthy diet and plenty of exercise should keep you fit for many years.
Once you have appeared on a number of magazine covers, work with your agent to send out news releases about your rising success. Give interviews. Be seen at all kinds of promotions, fundraisers, and society affairs. And be determined to work and travel continuously.
Now that so many businesses are going on-line via the Internet, modeling is following suit. For example, Stars: The Agency has announced its plans to be the first modeling agency on the Internet. This full-service agency represents men, women, and children in all fields of the industry, including fashion, commercial, and theatrical. Stars have established a network throughout the United States, Europe, and Australia.
Self-Promotion Blitz: Specialty Models
Vigorous self-promotion is not as crucial to the specialty modeling arena as it is in the general modeling field, because your livelihood probably won't depend totally on this type of work. Yet you should market yourself to key agencies, as well as keep your composites and portfolios up to date, and even send thank-you notes to the clients with whom you have worked.
Being seen is not so significant here. For the most part, individuals who model certain body parts do not have a desire to be full-time models. They prefer to work in their specialized area, then return to another occupation that fills the bulk of their busy schedules.
Primarily, it is important to establish a positive rapport with the talent agencies where you have registered.
Salary and Success Outlook: Models
One of the most attractive aspects of fashion modeling-besides the glitz and travel opportunities-is the potential to earn an exorbitantly high income. For the most part, models affiliated with agencies are paid hourly wages for the time it takes to do a photo session. Those rates, which often begin at $200 an hour, can escalate to $500 or more for top-notch models. A percentage of their earnings go to the agency that booked them.
Runway models typically get paid a flat fee, ranging from $500 to the thousands for one show. When you enter supermodel terrain, you will find income in the millions. Cindy Crawford, for example, in addition to her traditional modeling duties, has launched her own fashions, has a cable television show and is now starring in films.
This is an important point to note, because a number of famous models have branched out into other lucrative businesses. A group of models, including Claudia Schiffer and Naomi Campbell, recently opened the Fashion Cafe in New York. There are no limits to where your modeling talents can land you.
If supermodel stardom is not what you seek, you can earn a comfortable living by modeling locally for catalogs, print ads, runway shows, and special events.
Overall, your exposure will expand as fashion shows and publications move to the Internet, where they can be viewed by millions of subscribers. Hence, the modeling profession is far from becoming extinct any time soon.
Salary and Success Outlook: Specialty Models
Because specialty modeling is a very small niche market, only a handful of models can make a living from it. You are paid between $150 and $200 an hour for shoots that can take anywhere from two hours to two days. The agency that booked you gets a commission, and you normally wait three months to get paid. You would have to get a lot of assignments to have money on hand to pay the rent. The select few who have managed to make specialty modeling a career and get steady work can earn annual salaries of $100,000 and beyond. More realistically, this is a part-time profession whose future looks very promising into the next century. Remember that this field's major drawback is its limited access and sporadic employment.
